'In God We Trust' is a go

Alamogordo Daily NewsBy John Bear, Staff Writer

Posted:
01/10/2013 10:37:01 PM MST

Alamogordo will move ahead with a plan to display the words "In God We Trust" inside city hall, following in the footsteps of Artesia and several hundred other United States municipalities and counties.

The measure also includes language that the city might redesign its logo to include the official motto of the United States.

Mayor Susie Galea said the redesign might cost about $1,000.

District 4 and District 2 Commissioners Josh Rardin and Nadia Sikes abstained from voting, and citizens on both sides of the issue made impassioned pleas on Tuesday at a city commission meeting.

Galea, who sponsored the resolution, granted two fifteen minute-long periods for citizens to speak in favor of or against the resolution.

Several citizens spoke out against the measure and gave varying reasons including the notion that passing it would be against the inclusive spirit of the United States, which is officially a secular nation.

Others cited the questionable constitutionality of making commissioners vote on the measure, because doing so amounted to a "religious test" in the words of Rosemarie Ferrara.

"That is a personal, private matter between every man and every woman and their god," Ferrara said.

She said city commissioners were expected to use science and facts to make their decisions, not the bible.

On the other side of the issue, Susan Payne said the notion that people should base their decisions on science and not religion was "insulting to me as a Christian.

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Payne also took issue with Tristan Lenzo's suggestion that the city choose "In People We Trust" as its motto, saying that idea was "scary."

Lenzo said that though Alamogordo was a highly religious community, it should take care to keep its views in line with the rest of the country, which he said includes a sizable portion of people with no religious sentiments.

Pamela Lee spoke in favor of the measure and said commissioners could choose to vote on the matter or not and doing so did not constitute establishing a religion, which is against the Constitution.

One person speaking in favor of the matter offered statistics that show over 90 percent of Americans believe in God.

A person who spoke out against it gave statistics that show nearly 20 percent of Americans have no religious affiliations.

District 5 Commissioner Al Hernandez said he had served on the commission from 1996-2000, missing only one meeting. At all the others, he said, there was an opening prayer, and no one ever complained.

The city commission does conduct an opening prayer at its meetings, right before the Pledge of Allegiance.

Galea said the measure wasn't about religion or politics but liberty and freedom, though she did remark during the proceedings that god is "the beginning and the end."

Alamogordo is following in the footsteps of Artesia, who added the phrase to its city hall late last year. The move is part of a larger effort initiated by a California politician in the early 2000s which has seen over 300 communities make the change.

According to the United States Treasury Department, the push to place "In God We Trust" on currency began during the Civil War and the motto has appeared on all U.S. currency since 1938.

According to the New York Times, "In God We Trust" became the official motto of the United States in 1956.

The state flags of Florida and Georgia bear the phrase, as does Christian heavy metal band Stryper's third album. Politically-oriented California punk band Dead Kennedys made an ironic play on the motto, naming an EP "In God We Trust Inc," which is an indictment of organized religion.

Humorist Jean Sheperd named a book "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash," which was partially adapted into "A Christmas Story."